RaveNew York Journal of BooksThis could have been yet another Arthurian tale told ad nauseum over the decades, but here Lev Grossman stakes out a different kind of story that’s all his own ... The best thing about The Bright Sword is doesn’t become bogged down with minutiae, the narrative hums along grandly without stumbling over itself with florid verbiage. Grossman keeps the story humming at a pace with which the reader is comfortable. It’s a fresh perspective on a time-honored tale that brings an energizing twist that avoids the pitfalls of lesser works. Without a doubt this is Grossman’s best work to date.
Angus Macallan
RaveNew York Journal of BooksJust that kind of place needed for the next generation of fantasy enthusiasts ... Starting with sex and murder, Gates of Stone fires off like a cannon into a rollercoaster actionfest that keeps the pages turning well into the night long after the reader should go to bed ... although there is plenty of action, there are well-crafted characters to leaven an otherwise exhausting read ... there are a plethora of well-written supporting characters to keep the book from being one-note, which elevates it to the next level of fantasy writing ... There is enough between the covers of this book to leave any fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs and James Clavell anxiously waiting for a sequel.
